They had already done enough
Sometimes the smallest gestures leave the biggest impressions
We were getting ready to come home from Florida, and I was looking forward to being back.
Our daughter and her friend had been taking care of our fur babies and the house while we were away.
Whenever they do this for us, we tell them, “Make yourselves comfortable. Enjoy the house. Have fun!”
We’re just grateful knowing our fur babies are in good hands.
Then our daughter asked, “Do you want us to pick you up from the airport?”
That was a surprise!
We hadn’t even thought of asking. We were perfectly happy taking an Uber home. And if you know Atlanta traffic, you know picking someone up from the airport on a Sunday can be quite a commitment.
But since she offered, we said yes.
And there they were
Our flight was delayed a little.
By the time we landed, made our way through the airport, took the train, and finally got to arrivals, we were ready to head home.
I was expecting them to be waiting outside in the car.
But they’d actually parked, come inside, and were waiting for us.
And they’d brought madeleines!
I don’t know why that little detail made me so happy, but it did.
They’d already taken care of our fur babies and the house. That was plenty. We hadn’t expected anything else.
And now here they were, spending part of their Sunday picking us up from the airport, with a little treat for us too.
I remember standing there feeling so proud of both of them.
Lately, they’ve been surprising us with little gestures like this. And there’s something really special about seeing them think of these things on their own.
Nobody asked them to do any of it.
They just did.
A little more time together
Of course, there was the usual Atlanta traffic on the way home.
Somehow, I didn’t mind it as much.
We were together. We talked, caught up, and enjoyed each other’s company.
We even stopped for dinner along the way.
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And I loved that.
None of this was part of the plan.
If we’d taken an Uber, we would have gotten home, thanked the girls for taking care of everything, and they would have headed out.
That would have been perfectly fine.
Instead, we got a little more time together.
And sometimes that’s the best part.
The things nobody asks for
I’ve been thinking about that evening, especially the things nobody asked them to do.
It reminded me of something we see at work, too.
We spend a lot of time defining what needs to be delivered. We set expectations, agree on timelines, and work toward getting things done.
And when everything is delivered as promised, we consider the job complete.
That’s reasonable. There’s real value in doing what we said we’d do.
But occasionally, someone notices something beyond the original request.
Maybe they notice a colleague could use a little help. Or they anticipate a question, make the next step easier, or pay attention to a detail that matters to someone else.
These aren’t necessarily big gestures. Sometimes they take only a few minutes.
And sometimes, they make a bigger difference than we realize.
I don’t think every experience needs something extra. There are plenty of times when delivering exactly what was promised is more than enough.
But I know how it felt to be on the receiving end of that little extra thoughtfulness.
Each little thing that Sunday made the evening that much sweeter.
And I have a feeling those madeleines are going to make me smile for a long time.
Your Micro Boost
Before you finish something this week, think about the person on the receiving end.
What’s one small thing you could do to make their experience a little better?
Maybe it’s something they haven’t even thought to ask for.
You never know which small gesture someone will remember.
Listen to the podcast while Misty and Knox kept me company while I recorded.
YouTube Channel
https://youtu.be/yZ0kyHTIoIc?si=6J_trWKIYB34yJ8O
Spotify
https://open.spotify.com/episode/1puu10PFya5GqRxpKcd0Ix?si=NyzeAgIIQO6d5eOxxjEz0w
Apple Podcast
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-48-they-had-already-done-enough/id1860614687?i=1000800041567
Small actions, big impact!
